Start with the original record
Primary sources let you see what an agency, witness, legislator, or investigator actually published without relying on a screenshot or retelling. They still require interpretation: an official document can record an allegation without validating it, and a declassified file can contain inaccurate reporting.
Official U.S. repositories
- National Archives UAP Records Collection — Record Group 615 and links to UFO/UAP material across other holdings.
- National Archives Project Blue Book guide — background and access information for the Air Force case files.
- AARO congressional reports and briefings — annual reports, historical-review material, testimony, and presentations.
- AARO case-resolution reports — published analytical conclusions and supporting material for selected cases.
- AARO electronic FOIA reading room — records released in response to UAP-related requests.
- NASA UAP Independent Study — the study charter, public meeting material, and final report.
- GAO Roswell records review — the Government Accountability Office report and scope of its records search.
- FBI Vault: UFO — scanned Bureau records released for public access.
- CIA FOIA Electronic Reading Room — search the released collection by subject, date, or document number.
Legislation and hearings
Use Congress.gov for bill text, amendments, actions, committee information, and Congressional Record material. Committee websites and official video channels may provide hearing statements, transcripts, and recordings. Confirm the Congress number and version of a bill; introduced text is not the same as enacted law.
Public-record requests
FOIA.gov provides agency contacts, request guidance, and the federal request portal. Search an agency’s existing reading room before filing. A narrower records description, practical date range, likely office, and requested electronic format can make a request easier to process.
How to cite a source
Record the issuing body, full title, publication or creation date, document number, page number, and stable URL or archive identifier. For video, include the timestamp. For an archival scan, distinguish the date of the original record from the later release or upload date.
Before relying on a document
- Read beyond the excerpt and identify the author and intended audience.
- Determine whether the record states a finding, summarizes a report, or merely forwards an allegation.
- Check attachments, footnotes, redactions, and later revisions.
- Look for an independent record created by a different source.
- Preserve enough bibliographic detail to find the item if the link changes.